A colourful little coming-of-age charmer.

Although universal in appeal, America has dominated the coming-of-age genre for quite some time now. Tales of growing up, finding one’s self, and learning life lessons are concepts as old as cinema and know no borders, however, with Hollywood’s voice just that little bit louder than everyone else’s, American coming-of-age stories tend to hog the limelight.

Despite this, Britain has always done rather well with its own unique brand of coming-of-age tale; one that largely eschews the big, glossy life lessons of its Hollywood counterpart for something altogether more subtle, a little more restrained, and, more often than not, decidedly working class.

Whether it’s the classic kitchen sink dramas of Billy Liar and Kes, the feel good hits of Billy Elliot and Blinded By the Light, or hard hitting dramas like This Is England, British coming-of-age films have always been out here doing their own thing in the shadow of their bigger, broader American cousins.

Thrusting it back into the spotlight, last year’s astonishing Aftersun really showed that this country has still got what it takes to tell our own coming-of-age stories in our own, distinct way. And if Scrapper is anything to go by, we may well have a little genre renaissance on our hands.

Living alone in her East London flat, 12-year-old Georgie (Lola Campbell) must confront reality when her estranged father, Jason (Harris Dickinson), shows up out of nowhere. Uninterested in her sudden new parental figure, she remains stubbornly resistant to his efforts. As they both adjust to their new circumstances, Georgie and Jason soon find that they still have a lot to learn and a lot of growing up to do.

As debuts go, Scrapper is a cracker, and one hell of a calling card for writer-director Charlotte Regan. Much like fellow Charlotte - Wells - and her directorial debut Aftersun, Scrapper has appeared as if from nowhere to hit us with a low-key father-daughter story that’s as impactful as it is charming.

Getting the most out of what is an incredibly simple story, Charlotte Regan comes out swinging, as her unique filmmaking voice shines through with every scene. At its core, Scrapper’s story of loss, grief, and love is one you’ll have undoubtedly come across before, and will almost certainly come across again, however, with just the right blend of quirk, colour, spikiness, and heart, Regan has crafted something quite special.

Positively full of beans, Scrapper may be light on plot, yet it’s big on both heart and spirit with a story that feels both fantastical and painfully real. Existing in an almost fairy tale East London, Regan’s story of council estate life escapes the dour, depressing trap that so many big screen working class depictions fall into, adding an upbeat, pleasingly light-hearted sheen to what could have been a decidedly gloomy affair.

Stuffed with candy colours, pastel shades, Wes Anderson-like idiosyncrasies, eye-catching visual quirks, and a healthy dose of sunshine, the world around our protagonist, Georgie, is undoubtedly tough, yet it is also bright, breezy, and far from the grim working class poverty porn we’ve grown accustomed to. Backed by a banging needle-drop soundtrack and some creative editing, the world of Charlotte Reagan’s Scrapper may be dipped in grief, yet it’s drenched in life.

Against this colourful backdrop, Scrapper’s cast may be small, yet it’s perfectly formed. As the most prominent name on the credits, Harris Dickinson builds on his breakthrough role in Triangle of Sadness to perfectly embody the feckless-but-ultimately-warm-hearted, frost-tipped father figure Jason, turning a potentially irritating character into something unexpectedly likeable, however, as good as Dickinson is, this film belongs to young Lola Campbell.

A star in the making, Campbell’s blend of charm, bullishness and unexpected vulnerability is a an absolute revelation and truly helps make Scrapper the success that it is. Precocious yet loveable, pesky yet endearing, Campbell’s Georgie is a rambunctious joy and absolutely owns every scene she’s in.

While the scale of Scrapper is relatively small, the pressure of carrying an entire film on your shoulders is still there, especially for one so young, yet Lola Campbell comes out swinging in her debut, proving herself a talent beyond her years and absolutely one to watch in the future.

A sweet, heart-warming, quirky, punky coming-of-age story, Scrapper may be light on plot (and often logic) yet it’s huge on heart. Painting a refreshingly vibrant portrait of working class Britain, Scrapper is a high-energy, charm-laden debut from writer-director Charlotte Regan, taken to a whole new level by a star-making debut from young Lola Campbell.

Scrapper is in UK cinemas now.